Toddler fracture -- my 2 1/2 year old can't walk!

[aikigypsy]

2 days ago, my DD twisted her ankle and cracked her tibia -- apparently very common in toddlers. It's a hairline fracture, but she can't put weight on her right leg at all and she's in miserable pain.

We're letting her watch way more TV than usual, and carrying her anywhere she needs/wants to go, but I can't imagine going on like this for more than a few days. I'm about 5 1/2 months pregnant (Due Sept/Oct) so I should go light on the lifting etc., but she's only 25 pounds, so carrying her isn't too hard. Also on the up side, DH is working part-time and my parents are around, so there are lots of hands.

Any tips on keeping a normally-very-active and suddenly-immobilized toddler relatively happy?

[emilieblogs]

Poor little one! My son fractured his ankle when he was 2 years-3 months old...the being two and immobile was so much harder for him than the actual healing part.
I did a lot of things like taking him to the library where he could sit/scoot around their play area....taking him to story times where he could participate by singing and using gestures...getting lots of books....putting him in a stroller (which he'd previously barely used) and taking him for lots of walks (the fresh air helped compensate in the wearing-him-out department, since he wasn't running around like usual)...and we did watch more movies/tv than usual, but he had a 3 month old brother at the time and I needed that time to balance the two.
How about walking around a zoo or museum with a stroller? The little gets out and gets some stimulation in, and you don't necessarily have to carry her around to do it.

[LCBMAX]

really feeling for you all.

we got some clay from the local artist supply shop and my 2.25 year old son sat for 1.5 hours yesterday smooshing, smoshing, gooping, plopping, and making train cars. cookie cutters also good. (this would only work if you can bath her easily.)

and again if water on the leg is ok, a kiddie pool outside where she can sit and splash near you.

more on the baking theme - he'll sit at a low table and "help" me cook when I give him any tactile chores (smosh the eggs, knead the dough, mix the flour.) cause right now you don't care about the mess, do you? ok, you do, but not compared to keeping her occupied.

any big kids/ mother's helpers available to come read to her? it's entertaining in a way that mama is not.

if your belly is comfortable, I bet she'd like to be in the ergo on your back, or in a backpack high up while you do a few chores, or walk in busy grownup streets that she usually can't go to.

goooooooood luuuuuuck!
good luck!

[Peacemamalove]

Another thing my 2 year old loves is paper mache. we make a flour and water paste cut up some newspapers and spread a few layers on balloons. lots of gooey fun

[allaiter]

This happend to one of my girls at 20months. She was given a cast she could walk on. It took about 5 days and she was walking on it. It was a bit odd at first but she did get the hang of it. We were potty training and we had some issues with pee and poop getting in the cast (it was all the way up to her upper thigh) After the 3 week we did get a submerisable cast. they can get wet but they take for ever to dry and you have to shape it back. I was nice to bathe her but it was a lot of trouble.

We just did our normal routine and I tried to let her know that I understood it hurt but I am not able to carry you every where and give in to every whim. She was back to normal after 5 days.

[aikigypsy]

Allaiter -- That's very encouraging to hear (except for the pee and poo in the cast. Yuck.) She is doing much better today, 3 days after the initial break and 1 day since getting the splint fitted. If she can get a walking cast that will be great.

We went to the beach this evening and she got her splint and its wrappings full of sand but she was moving around and happier than yesterday. I was really dreading being stuck inside, immobile, but I'm starting to feel like this is going to be something we can work around. I can tell that she's not in as much pain today, and hopefully she'll be able to sleep better, too (it's been very hard to settle her to sleep in the last couple of days).

We do a lot of baking, but I've been less motivated to do it in the last couple of weeks -- too much going on, summer, etc. etc. She usually "helps" by measuring things into the bowl (closely supervised) and by eating gobs of raw bread dough. Should probably get back to it, and cook up some playdough, which I've been meaning to do but haven't tried yet.

DH has actually done a lot of paper mache (not lately, but more recently than my preschool experiences with it 30-odd years ago), so maybe he can do some of that with her.

Thanks for the suggestions!

[allaiter]

There are cast covers you can get. We got one for my son when he broke his arm 2 summers ago. We found ours at a Sports Rehab Store. Call any large orthopedic practice (adult) and ask if they sell or know where to find water proof cast covers. This will help to keep sand out and make bathing way easier. We paid 15 i think for his.

[swd12422]

Originally Posted by allaiter

There are cast covers you can get. We got one for my son when he broke his arm 2 summers ago. We found ours at a Sports Rehab Store. Call any large orthopedic practice (adult) and ask if they sell or know where to find water proof cast covers. This will help to keep sand out and make bathing way easier. We paid 15 i think for his.

This. DH broke his wrist in the middle of the summer, and it was HOT. He got one of the inflatable cast covers (not expensive at all) and wore it not only to shower, but to swim in the pool. I think he swam nearly every day b/c it was so hot and the cast made the heat feel even worse.

I was also going to suggest lots of different crafts projects, if she's into that. I know coloring is the only thing that will keep DS in his chair for more than 3 minutes!